Gestational Diabetes – Causes, Symptoms and Treatment

Pregnant women who have never had diabetes but experience high blood sugar levels during pregnancy are said to have gestational diabetes. High blood sugar from the mother causes high blood sugar in the baby. If left untreated it can cause problems in the baby. Proactive diabetes care and diabetes management is essential in order to ensure the harmful effects of gestational diabetes mellitus do not pass on to the baby.

Gestational diabetes starts when your body is not able to make and use all the insulin it needs for pregnancy. Without enough insulin, glucose cannot leave the blood and be changed to energy. Glucose builds up in the blood to high levels. This is called hyperglycemia.

Before we understand the gestational diabetes symptoms and how it affects your baby, let us look at the possible risk factors which lead to this health condition among pregnant women:

Risk Factors for Gestational Diabetes Mellitus

The following factors can lead to Gestational Diabetes in pregnant women-

• Obesity or being overweight can increase your risk of developing gestational diabetes.
• Family history of a parent or sibling who had this type of diabetes during pregnancy increases your chance of developing it.
• Age also affects your pregnancy period as the older you are when you get pregnant, the higher your risk.
• Glucose intolerance – Being glucose intolerant or having gestational diabetes in the past makes you more likely to get it again in your next pregnancy.

Gestational diabetes can cause the foetus to be larger than normal. Delivery of the baby may be more complicated as a result. The baby is also at risk for developing low blood glucose (hypoglycemia) immediately after birth.

Read More : Gestational Diabetes Diet – All You Need To Know

Complications of Gestational Diabetes for the Mother

• Women with gestational diabetes have a greater chance of needing a Caesarean birth (C-section), in part due to large infant size.

• Gestational diabetes may increase the risk of the mother developing high blood pressure and protein in the urine.

• Women with gestational diabetes are also at increased risk of having type 2 diabetes after the pregnancy.

Treatment – How BeatO Can Help

Keeping a close watch on your blood sugar levels is the key requirement for maintaining healthy readings. Use a compact glucometer like BeatO smartphone glucometer to take regular readings even when you are on the go. The BeatO glucometer syncs your readings with the BeatO app and instantly connects you to a diabetes educator.

Once you are connected to your personalized diabetes educator, you can track your blood sugar readings under expert guidance and plan the diet and lifestyle required in order to naturally bring down the glucose levels.

The app also lets you reach out to your doctor and family members under a uniform network which allows your network to track your progress and changes in readings etc.

Get the best health advice with BeatO.